Monday, May 28, 2012

Cannes Film Featival Winners

PALME D'ORAmour- Michael Haneke- Haneke joined the prestigious ranks of The Dardenne Brothers and Francis Ford Coppola winning his second (and consecutive) top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He previously won top honors for 2009's The White Ribbon. Ironically, the second place finisher at the 2009 fest was A Prophet by director Jacques Audiard who was up again for the acclaimed Rust & Bone with Marion Cotilllard this year...the jury (headed by Nanni Moretti) didn't give that film a prize.

GRAND PRIX (2nd Place)Reality- Italian film directed by Matteo Garrone, who won the same prize in 2008 for the acclaimed mobster saga Gomorrah.

JURY PRIZE (3rd Place)The Angel's Share- directed by Ken Loach, winner of the Palme D'Or in 2005 for The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

BEST DIRECTOR
Carlos Reygades, Post Tenebras Lux

BEST ACTOR
Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

BEST ACTRESS
Cosmina Straton & Christina Flutor, Beyond the Hills

BEST SCREENPLAYBeyond the Hills- Cristian Mungai- This is Mungai's follow-up the the amazing the 2007 Palme D'Or winning 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

CAMERA D'OR (Best First Feature)Beasts of the Southern Wild- winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance earlier. Will be released next month by Fox Searchlight.

Last year the Cannes Film Festival was strikingly relevant to the Oscars with top winner The Tree of Life winning the Palme D'Or and The Artist and Midnight in Paris debuting to great acclaim. I doubt this year will have much influence, despite a heavy number of American films that debuted in competition (Moonrise Kingdom, Lawless, Mud, The Paperboy, Killing Them Softly), none of them won any prizes.